That’s certainly what it looked like in tonight’s episode. The coven was invaded by zombies — or walkers – including the three ghoulish, rotting corpses of LaLaurie’s daughters who apparently were out for revenge. And the reanimated stiffs might have overrun the finishing school if not for some fast thinking by Zoe, who at first, used a chain saw to cut some zombies in half (excellent special effects!) and then conjured up some kind of killer spell that thwarted the zombies and gave the voodoo queen who controlled them — Marie Laveau — a splitting headache.

“They got some real power in that house,” Laveau admitted, suddenly realizing hat she may be in for a bigger fight than she realized.

But while the zombies certainly seized our attention, this episode was really about bad mothering and the regrets both LaLaurie and Fiona harbor over past transgressions.

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LaLaurie, we learned, wasn’t only a vicious bitch when it came to her slaves, she wielded Mommie Dearest-like tyranny toward her daughters. She scared away possible suitors for her girls by taking them to her Chamber of Horrors, where she had gruesome bowls of eyeballs and human innards on display. And when she learned that her daughters were plotting her demise, LaLaurie had them locked up in cages for a year and stuffed the mouth of the leading instigator with crap.

Yes, Joan Crawford had nothing on her.

“She had a monster for a mother,” a teary-eyed LaLaurie admits.

Fiona can relate. She’s a hysterical wreck as her daughter, Cordelia, lies in a hospital bed, having been rendered blind after someone threw acid in her face. (Our question: Can’t a witch’s spell fix that?). And, in a dream-like sequence, her regrets pour out while speaking to a patient who just delivered a stillborn daughter.

“Keep her close and safe. Tell her you love her more than the whole world,” Fiona urges the grieving woman, just moments before the baby magically comes back to life.

All this remorse over their horrible parenting has LaLaurie and Fiona on the same wavelength for the first time, and LaLaurie expresses a glimmer of hope that, maybe, just maybe, this will bring the two of them closer.

And that’s when the chilly Fiona delivers the best line of the night:

“I doubt it,” he says. “You, after all, are the maid.”

Apparently, “American Horror Story” is not about to morph into “Downton Abbey.”

Some other developments and random thoughts:

– Fiona may have been in the dumps, but she still summoned enough gumption to repel a takeover bid by the Council and frame Myrtle Snow for the murder of Madison. Oh, this woman is deliciously devious. She’s even manipulating Queenie into thinking that, with her help, she could become the next Supreme.

– Just what kind of sicko is the cross-dressing Spalding? And what is he doing with those dolls and Madison’s corpse? We want to know more.

– Love the fact that Zoe is evolving from a wallflower girl to a young woman in touch with her burgeoning powers. Is she a Supreme-in-the-making?

– Misty using her eerie magic to bring Myrtle back to life. Stevie Nicks would be so very proud.

– It’s not all that surprising that “AHS” got zombiefied for a night. Co-creator Ryan Murphy has spoken about what a huge fan he is of “The Walking Dead.”

– Aside from a few quibbles here and there, we’re enjoying this season much more than “Asylum.” And we really appreciate the touches of humor. Absolutely loved the use of Dr. John’s “Right Place Wrong Time” on the way to Myrtle’s execution.

But what are your thoughts? Has this season cast a spell on you? Or do you find it to be just a bunch of toil and trouble?